Just get out there and ride! Don't need lycra or special shoes. A helmet is optional...your choice.

I am just a guy with a love of the bicycle and a firm believer it is a viable form of transportation. The bicycle is an amazing invention. It allows a small human to transport a large load over long distances easily. It is THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT FORM OF TRANSPORTATION...PERIOD!!!

Monday, January 19, 2009

A Good Reason NOT to read foreign bike blogs...

I was reading People Powered Blog and was having a discussion with Nico about a bike he had posted on his blog People Powered had picked up on the bikes and had them on his blog of the day. I got to translating Nico's blog (using Google Translator) and ran across where he had taken a vacation in The Netherlands Found the Gazelle website with the tandem on it...now I want one!

We have a Raleigh Companion tandem that sees a bit of use, but I think the Gazelle would be much nicer and probably get ridden even more than the Raleigh does. So now the fun begins! Getting the money together and figuring out how to get a bike like that to the states.

BTW the Raleigh does have fenders and a rack on it, and it getting a center kickstand shortly.

Aaron
Tandem

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oops.. sorry about that...

Mind you, it's similar to the process that led to me getting the Xtracycle. Could you start importing them and sell a couple on?

2whls3spds said...

Importing is a brutal business and not one that I am interested in becoming involved in. I have a very short fuse when it comes to redtape and government. But that doesn't mean I won't buy something and work to bring it to the US ;>) I have my means and methods...plus a son in the UK/NL which works to my advantage most of the time.

Aaron

Rat Trap Press said...

I like that Gazelle tandem! I wonder how much it would cost to ship something like that.

2whls3spds said...

Rat Trap...that is what I am checking on...it ain't no lightweight! I suspect it will weigh over 85# crated up. It runs around $1850usd for the bike.

If I can get it here and stay under $2200usd I will be happy. AFAIK there is NO US distributor/importer. I still have my son in the UK ;-), though he may be going to Amsterdam shortly (even better!) Then it would just be a case of arranging shipping. I have a couple of options up my sleeve on that one too. I have friends that ship stuff back and forth across the pond pretty regularly from the UK and NL so I may be able to get room in one of their shipping containers on the westbound trip.

Aaron

Nick said...

Good luck with your idea of buying the Gazelle Tandem; I hate to think what it might cost you to import it. Incidentally, I have a Gazelle (not the tandem) and it's proved to be a fine, reliable machine so far, though I have upgraded it a bit from the original specification - purely a matter of taste, not necessity, though. They're good bikes.

William said...

Shipping is one of the things stopping me from getting a Triobike. That has been and idea of mine for months now. Money overall is the issue. Nice bike glad I found CCC. I've found blogs more useful in finding info then Google searches. Anyhow, I look forward to sharing adventures with everyone.

Anonymous said...

Hey, you mentioned my blog ... if something like that happens again I could be tempted to think that it would be a good idea to start an English version of my blog. :-)

Kind regards
Nico

2whls3spds said...

Nico,
I read your BLOG every time you post...I just have to use Google Translator. ;>)

Aaron

Anonymous said...

Great! So I have at least two regular readers ... :-)